The Blessed Lord said, “O Pārtha, having the mind fixed on Me, who am the Supreme, practising the Yoga of Meditation and taking refuge in Me, hear from Me now, how you will know Me with certainty in entirety.
I shall tell you in detail of this Knowledge combined with realization, savijnānam, after experiencing which, there remains nothing else here to be known again.
manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah – Among thousands of men, a rare one endeavours for perfection. Even of the perfected ones who are diligent and striving for Liberation, one indeed perchance knows Me in truth.
This Prakrti called Maya of Mine as described is divided eight-fold thus: earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect and ego.
apareyam itas tv anyam
prakrtim viddhi me param
jiva-bhutam maha-baho
yayedam dharyate jagat – O mighty-armed one, this is inferior. Know the other pure Prakrti of Mine which however is higher than this one that I have spoken of which has taken the form of the individual souls, jiva–bhutam, and by which this world is upheld.
Understand that all things animate and inanimate have these as their source (Prakrti and the jiva-bhutam). Therefore, I am the origin as also the end of the whole universe.
O Dhananjaya, there is nothing else whatsoever higher than Me, who am the source of the world. All this is strung on Me like pearls on a string.
raso ‘ham apsu kaunteya
prabhasmi sasi-suryayoh
pranavah sarva-vedesu
sabdah khe paurusam nrsu – O son of Kunti, I am the taste of water, I am the effulgence of the moon and the sun, I am the letter OM in all the Vedas, I am also the sound in space and I am the manhood in men.
punyo gandhah prthivyam ca
tejas casmi vibhavasau
jivanam sarva-bhutesu
tapas casmi tapasvisu – I am also the sweet fragrance in the earth; I am the brilliance in the fire and the life in all the beings and I am the austerity of ascetics.
bijam mam sarva-bhutanam
viddhi partha sanatanam
buddhir buddhimatam asmi
tejas tejasvinam aham – O Pārtha, know Me to be the eternal seed of all beings. I am the intellect of the intelligent and I am the courage of the courageous.
And of the strong, I am the strength which is devoid of passion and attachment. Among creatures, I am that desire which is not contrary to righteousness and scriptural injunctions, O scion of the Bharata dynasty.
Those things that indeed are made of the quality of sattva and those that are made of rajas and tamas, know them to have sprung from Me alone. However, I am not in them; they are in Me.
All this world deluded as it is by these three things made of the gunas does not know Me who am transcendental to these and undecaying.
daivi hy esa guna-mayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayam etam taranti te – Since this divine Māyā of Mine which is constituted by the gunas is difficult to cross over, those who take refuge in Me alone, who am their own Self cross over this Māyā.
The foolish sinners who are the most depraved among men who are deprived of wisdom by Māyā and who resort to demoniacal ways, do not take refuge in Me.
catur-vidha bhajante mam
janah sukrtino ‘rjuna
arto jijnasur artharthi
jnani ca bharatarsabha – O Arjuna, foremost of the Bharata dynasty, four classes of people who are eminent among human beings and are pious in actions and are of virtuous deeds adore Me: the afflicted, the seeker of Knowledge, the seeker of wealth and the man of Knowledge.
tesam jnani nitya-yukta
eka-bhaktir visisyate
priyo hi jnanino ‘tyartham
aham sa ca mama priyah – Of them, the man of Knowledge, endowed with constant steadfastness and one-pointed devotion excels. For I am very dear to the man of Knowledge and he too is dear to Me.
udarah sarva evaite
jnani tv atmaiva me matam
asthitah sa hi yuktatma
mam evanuttamam gatim – All of these three without exception are indeed noble, but the man of Knowledge is the very Self. This is My opinion for with a steadfast mind, the man of Knowledge is set on the path leading to Me alone, who am the exalted and superlative Goal.
bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate
vasudevah sarvam iti
sa mahatma su-durlabhah – At the end of many births, the man of Knowledge attains Me, who am the inmost Self, realizing that Vāsudeva is all. Such a high-souled exalted one is very rare.
People, deprived of their wisdom, deprived of the discriminating knowledge by desires for various objects and guided by their own nature, resort to other deities following the relevant methods.
yo yo yam yam tanum bhaktah
sraddhayarcitum icchati
tasya tasyacalam sraddham
tam eva vidadhamy aham – Whichever form of a deity, any devotee wants to worship, I strengthen that very firm faith of his.
sa taya sraddhaya yuktas
tasyaradhanam ihate
labhate ca tatah kaman
mayaiva vihitan hi tan – Being imbued with that faith, that person engages in worshipping that form of the deity and he gets those very desired results therefrom as they are dispensed by Me alone.
That result of theirs who are of poor intellect is indeed limited. The worshippers of gods go to gods. My devotees go to Me alone.
avyaktam vyaktim apannam
manyante mam abuddhayah
param bhavam ajananto
mamavyayam anuttamam – The unintelligent, unaware of My supreme state which is immutable and unsurpassable, think of Me as the unmanifest that has become manifest.
naham prakasah sarvasya
yoga-maya-samavrtah
mudho ‘yam nabhijanati
loko mam ajam avyayam – Being veiled and enveloped by yoga–māyā, I do not become manifest to all. This deluded world does not know Me who am birthless and undecaying.
vedaham samatitani
vartamanani carjuna
bhavisyani ca bhutani
mam tu veda na kascana – O Arjuna, I know the past beings and the present beings and also the future beings but no one knows Me!
O scion of the Bharata dyanasty, O destroyer of foes, due to the delusion of duality arising from likes and dislikes, all creatures are deluded and bewildered at the time of birth.
yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah – On the other hand, those persons who are of virtuous deeds whose sin has come to an end, they, being free from delusion of duality and firm in their convictions, adore Me, the Supreme Self.
jara-marana-moksaya
mam asritya yatanti ye
te brahma tad viduh krtsnam
adhyatmam karma cakhilam – Those who strive by resorting to Me, the Supreme God by having their minds absorbed in Me to become free from old age and death, they know that Brahman which is the Supreme and they know everything about the individual Self and they know all about karma and actions.
sadhibhutadhidaivam mam
sadhiyajnam ca ye viduh
prayana-kale ‘pi ca mam
te vidur yukta-cetasah – Those who know Me as existing in the physical and divine planes and also as existing in the context of the sacrifice, and, those who have their minds absorbed in God know Me even at the time of death.
sandeepa.in 
Leave a Reply